Stanford Certificate on Poverty and Inequality

The Stanford Certificate in Poverty and Inequality recognizes undergraduates who have developed expertise in one or more of our research areas. The certificate is conferred as soon as the coursework and research requirements listed below are completed. Although the certificate does not appear on an official University transcript, it provides formal recognition of a rigorous program of study in the field of poverty and inequality.

Admission

Applications to the CPI certificate program are available here and may be filed at any time. Admitted students are assigned an advisor who will assist in planning coursework and providing research opportunities within CPI. Please contact CPI (inequality@stanford.edu) with any questions.

Requirements

The student’s course and research plan, which is submitted with the application, should meet the four requirements listed below.

Core Foundation Course (SOC 140. Introduction to Social Stratification (same as SOC 240)). This required introductory course examines the causes and consequences of poverty, inequality, and mobility. In years when SOC 140 is not offered, it can be replaced with a second elective foundation course. The two elective foundation courses may not come from the same category (i.e., students may not take two normative foundation courses to fulfill the foundation course requirements).

Elective Foundation Course. The second foundation course should be selected from among the normative, empirical, and policy courses listed below. These courses examine the principles by which certain types of living conditions may be deemed unjust or impoverished (i.e., "normative analysis"), the social processes and forces by which poverty and inequality are generated and maintained (i.e., "empirical analysis"), and the types of policies and interventions that might reduce or increase poverty and inequality (i.e., "policy analysis").The Normative FoundationETHICSOC 136R. Introduction to Global Justice (same as INTNLREL 136R, PHIL 76, POLISCI 136R, POLISCI 336)PHIL 171. Justice (Same as: ETHICSOC 171, IPS 208, PHIL 271, POLISCI 3P, POLISCI 136S, POLISCI 336S, PUBLPOL 103C, PUBLPOL 307)The Empirical FoundationCSRE 10SC: Inequality and Poverty in the United States (same as SOC 11SC)ECON 22N. Causes and Consequences of the Rise in InequalitySOC 141. Controversies about Inequality (same as SOC 241)SOC 144. Inequality and the Workplace (same as SOC 244)The Policy FoundationECON 11N. Understanding the Welfare SystemECON 45. Using Big Data to Solve Economic and Social ProblemsPOLISCI 147P. The Politics of InequalitySOC 135. Poverty, Inequality, and Social Policy (same as SOC 235)

Research Project. The third requirement is to complete a research paper on poverty or inequality. We invite students to join one of the ten CPI Research Groups and become involved in an ongoing CPI research project that might become the basis for their research paper. It is also acceptable to write an independent research paper rather than joining a CPI Research Group. The research paper may either take the form of a research proposal or an empirical research project based on quantitative or qualitative methods. This paper should be completed while the student is enrolled in Independent Study with a CPI faculty affiliate (go here for a list of CPI faculty affiliates).

Additional Elective. The fourth requirement is to take an “elective course” with a poverty or inequality focus. This requirement may be satisfied by taking an additional foundation course from the list provided above or by taking any of the preapproved elective courses listed below. Additionally, other unlisted courses addressing issues of poverty and inequality may also satisfy this requirement, although such courses require CPI approval (which is requested by submitting our Course Approval Form). It is suggested (but not required) that approval be secured in advance of taking an unlisted course. If a new applicant to the certificate program wishes to count a completed course toward the requirements, that should be indicated on the application form (and, if necessary, the Course Approval Form should be filled out).

List of Preapproved Elective Courses

Poverty ANTHRO 30Q. The Big Shift.CSRE 10SC. Inequality and Poverty in the United States (same as SOC 11SC)ECON 11N. Understanding the Welfare SystemECON 106. World Food Economy (same as EARTHSYS 106, EESS 106)HIST 368C. Poverty in America (same as CSRE 268C, HISTORY 268C)SOC 135. Poverty, Inequality, and Social Policy in the United States (same as SOC 235)SOC 157. Ending Poverty with Technology (same as PUBLPOL 147)SOC 158. Ending Poverty with Technology: A Practicum (same as PUBLPOL 148)

Income InequalityAMSTUD 50N. The Literature of Inequality: Have and Have-Nots from the Gilded Age to the Occupy Era (same as ENGLISH 50N)CSRE 10SC. Inequality and Poverty in the United States (same as SOC 11SC)ECON 22N. Causes and Consequences of the Rise in Inequality MGTECON 327. Business and Public Policy Perspectives on U.S. InequalityPOLISCI 127P. Economic Inequality and Political Dysfunction POLISCI 147P. The Politics of InequalitySOC 14N. Inequality in American Society SOC 117D. Recognizing Inequality SOC 141. Controversies about Inequality (same as SOC 241)

Labor Markets ECON 11N. Understanding the Welfare SystemECON 19Q. Measuring the Performance of Governments in the U.S. (same as PUBLPOL 19Q) ECON 110. History of Financial Crises ECON 118. Development EconomicsECON 145. Labor EconomicsLAW 7019. Employment DiscriminationSOC 103D. Can Women (and Men) Have it All? Gender and Work in the 21st CenturySOC 114D. Sociology of the Great RecessionSOC 142. Sociology of Gender (same as SOC 242)SOC 144. Inequality and the Workplace (same as SOC 244)SOC 328. The Sociology of Work and Employment

HealthBIODS 210. Configuration of the US Healthcare System and the Application of Big Data/AnalyticsCHPR 291. Assessing the Health Effects of Economic ChangeHRP 267. Life Course EpidemiologyMED 264. Social EpidemiologyPEDS 150. Social and Environmental Determinants of Health (same as PEDS 250)PEDS 211. Medical-Legal Issues in Children's Health